GE2016 - how to form a government?

CartHorse

23% of voters would vote independent according to October IPSOS/MRBI. The last two by-elections were won by independents; neither of whom live in the constituency!

Impossible to form a government with that motley lot - any one of them could bring down the government if the the wrong hospital or wrong turf cutter felt aggrieved.

SF/FF looks like a realistic option. Keep SF away from Foreign Affairs/Justice/Defence/etc. and you might just be able to convince FF voters that it would be OK.

The only other option is a second term of FG/Labour.

I really worry where this country will be in 12 months' time.

Henry94

If the government doesn't sort out their water problem it looks like SF could lead the next government with the Trotskyite parties and Independents supporting them long enough to get rid of Irish Water. If FG have any sense they will cut their losses and abolish Irish Water. It's too late to save Labour.

CartHorse

Henry94 wrote: »

If the government doesn't sort out their water problem it looks like SF could lead the next government with the Trotskyite parties and Independents supporting them long enough to get rid of Irish Water. If FG have any sense they will cut their losses and abolish Irish Water. It's too late to save Labour.

You cannot form a government with Independents who can topple everything over turf cutting or hospitals or a sex abuse scandal or some Savita Hallapanavar issue or whatever.

Maybe FG/Labour Mk2 is the best we can hope for? More of the same unimaginative, cap-in-hand slow death politics that is currently plaguing the country

Pete_Cavan

It is too late to scrap Irish Water, doing so now will only give others more ammunition. There has been some shocking incompetence from FG recently, the IW problems and John McNulty issue have convinced people that they are no better than FF. They should have modernised and set themselves part from FF and also this Reform Alliance nonsense. There is now a huge number of well off, liberal minded young people who literally have no one to vote for. There is an opening for a new party but they do not have enough time to make an impact on the next GE unless the likes of Varadkar and Coveney split to form a new party with fresh blood but that doesnt look like happening.

Unfortunately it looks like SF and a random bunch of looney lefties will make up the next government. The only hope is that they stay together long enough for people to see how crazy their ideas are. It is quite likely they will come in, hack the tax base down to where it was before, alienate us from Europe and other major trading partners, increase hand outs to the "most vulnerable in society" (aka anyone who might vote for them) and pile extra taxes on everyone else, shortly followed by the collapse of the government because they cant agree on something simple. They all then retreat back to their small groups in opposition where they can give out and complain about everything while someone else is left to pick up the pieces.

Idbatterim

get rid of that gob****e kenny, would be a start, Labour at this stage are done... They cant win to be honest, the voter they appeal to, are probably the biggest protest voters...

I agree with paying for water base on usage, but the way Irish water has conducted itself / been set up, is a sham start to finish, one of the biggest problems is that the government have to bow to the massively uninformed electorate as they will be looking for their vote in a little over a year..

Hasnt Shane ross recently proposed an alliance of independents?

Godge

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

It is too late to scrap Irish Water, doing so now will only give others more ammunition. There has been some shocking incompetence from FG recently, the IW problems and John McNulty issue have convinced people that they are no better than FF. They should have modernised and set themselves part from FF and also this Reform Alliance nonsense. There is now a huge number of well off, liberal minded young people who literally have no one to vote for. There is an opening for a new party but they do not have enough time to make an impact on the next GE unless the likes of Varadkar and Coveney split to form a new party with fresh blood but that doesnt look like happening.

Unfortunately it looks like SF and a random bunch of looney lefties will make up the next government. The only hope is that they stay together long enough for people to see how crazy their ideas are. It is quite likely they will come in, hack the tax base down to where it was before, alienate us from Europe and other major trading partners, increase hand outs to the "most vulnerable in society" (aka anyone who might vote for them) and pile extra taxes on everyone else, shortly followed by the collapse of the government because they cant agree on something simple. They all then retreat back to their small groups in opposition where they can give out and complain about everything while someone else is left to pick up the pieces.

That is the stuff of nightmares, with SF in government, we would be back in recession in three months.